Bullying is repeated, forceful behavior meant to cause physical or emotional harm as a way to scare or control others. The behavior can include teasing, insulting, shoving, hitting, or gossiping, and it is often an act of power. This page will talk about bullying and children with disabilities, how children are affected by bullying, signs a child is being bullied, important things to know when watching for bullying, and where to get help.

Bullying can happen to any person in any place. While no one cause puts a child at risk of being bullied, children with disabilities are both at risk and highly affected by being bullied. One study shows 60% of students with disabilities tell someone they are being bullied often, compared with 25% of all students.

Children who are bullied may feel upset, afraid, ashamed, embarrassed, and nervous about going to school. Longer-term effects include lower scholastic success and aspirations, greater anxiety, loss of self-esteem, depression and post-traumatic stress, physical health problems, self-harm and suicidal thinking, suicide, feelings of loneliness, more absences from school, and other harmful impacts to a child’s health and education. [Young: 2010]

Children who bully other children also have lasting problems. Sometimes children who have certain emotional or behavioral disorders or limited social skills act in a way that is mistaken for bullying. Whether the behavior is intended, or is due to disability, it still needs to be addressed.

Bullying usually keeps happening unless there is intervention, but knowing when it happens can be difficult. Children will not always tell you they are being bullied. Possible signs are:

• Changes in behavior
• Unusual episodes of acting out
• Sleep problems
• Bed-wetting
• Crying or sadness for no known reason
• Unusual “clinginess” to family and caregivers
• Fear of leaving home, going to school, or usual daily activities

Children may not necessarily know they are being bullied.

Bullying is different from conflict.

• Conflict is a disagreement or argument in which both sides express their views
• Bullying is a negative behavior directed by someone exerting power and control over another person.

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like smart phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

Warning Signs a Child is Being Cyberbullied or is Cyberbullying Others

Practice Digital Awareness as a Parent

• Monitor a teen’s Social Media and Apps, and browsing history if you have concerns that cyberbullying may be occurring.
• Review or re-set your child’s phone location and privacy settings.
• Follow or friend your teen on social media sites or have another trusted adult do so.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest apps, social media platforms, and digital slang used by children and teens.
• Know your child’s user names and passwords for email and social media.
• Establish Rulesabout appropriate digital behavior, content, and apps.

If your child has let you know that he or she is being bullied, call the school to talk about this with the teacher and principal. If your child has an IEP, involve the team right away, create strategies for your child to cope and let adults know if they are being bullied. Children with disabilities are protected under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Schools are required by law to make sure they are addressing their needs and resolving harassment or bullying issues.

The Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework includes school-based interventions or services that address different “levels” of supports needed to deal with the range of learning, mental health, and emotional-behavioral health concerns that a student may have. It is also used in bullying prevention and intervention. Multi-tiered service delivery involves providing universal and selective prevention services, as well as indicated intervention services.

In all cases, bullying is a public health challenge. Awareness and focus is needed with intervention and prevention of bullying of students with disabilities. Share your child’s comments about their day with their IEP team members to provide context. Have the IEP team agree upon a communication method that is accessible, convenient and can be used regularly by the whole team to be proactive. An example is a shared Google document.